Healthy grilling

Cooking meat over an open flame creates chemicals long suspected of increasing cancer risk. According to two studies, eating barbecued red meat may raise the risk of prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in post-menopausal women.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Choose skinless chicken and fish. They do not appear to raise risk.

Make kebabs with vegetables and fruits, which do not form harmful chemicals when flame-cooked.

Keep the temperature lower to lessen the smoke and flames that reach the food and raise the barbecue racks.

Flip with tongs or a spatula – a fork pierces food, releases juice and fat that leads to flare-ups.

Microwave meat before barbecuing to reduce time over the charcoal and use an oil-free marinade to hinder the formation of cancer-causing chemicals.